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Evan Collins
Prof. Fichner-Rathus
12/12/2020
Women, Art, and Society
Ancient Beauty Standards
Enhancing one's appearance is an extremely important aspect of modern society. In the
United States alone, the cosmetic industry is around a fifty billion dollar market. The reason the
modern day beauty industry is booming is because of the strides that women made in ancient
times. Throughout different ancient cultures, women had different techniques to promote the
female image. Three of the most dominant cultures in Ancient times were the Egyptians, Greeks,
and Romans. At their respective heights of power, each civilization had citizens of high class
stature. This development of class, stature, and culture led to the first evidence of individuals
trying to promote their appearance and show their status. The creation of cosmetics in these
ancient civilizations helped give women the confidence and power to become more respected
figures in society.
In ancient Egypt, producing a powerful image was extremely valuable. One of the most
influential cosmetic enhancements was the way women style their hair. What is very ironic
about this is the majority of women in Ancient Egypt did not have hair. This is because the
Egyptians themselves were not hairy people. The hot desert environment made it extremely
challenging to maintain a clean body with hair. This is why most ancient Egyptians had shaved
bodies and used wigs. Egyptiant children did not have high beauty standards. Most had shaved
heads and both boys and girls wore clothes that were unizex. Style and image only came into
play once puberty began and the children became adults.
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In Egyptian society, wigs were an extremely important symbol of status. They were
typically made of black hair, and were very thick. They also had jewellery or ornaments that
were braided into them. What is so special about Egyptian wigs is that for women it was a
symbol of power. Since the wigs were so intrucut, it meant that one would need the resources in
order to maintain the wig. Women that were well off had the ability to have complex wigs with
lots of braids and jewelry. The most powerful women had enough resources to maintain healthy
natural hair. What is important about this is for women, the hair was an erotic symbol. Long,
healthy looking hair helped women become figures of sexuallity and fertility. Having long wigs
also helped hide age. This is because individuals were able to cover their gray hair with the dark
black wigs.
There were multiple styles of wigs that ancient Egyptian women had the ability to wear.
What is most interesting about this is there is a lot of evidence that supports that each wig
represented a different status for the woman that was wearing it. The main hairstyle used was
called the tripartite style. In the first hairstyle, it was divided into three bundles where two of
them were on each side and one was in the back. This left the women’s shoulders exposed.
Another hairstyle was styled so it was not in separate parts and it draped over the shoulders.
Daughters of people who were well off in Egyptian society would wear tresses and ringlets in
their hair to shape it and have a thin ponytail in the back. This hairstyle was never worn by
mothers, it often meant that a woman was no longer a child, but they were still not married.
Women with these hairstyles also typically wore clothing that was more revealing, than women
that were the first tripartite style that was described. Wigs for ancient Egyptian women were an
extremely important cosmetic enhancement for them because they helped promote the female
sexual image, and give them status in society.
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In addition to using hair to enhance their appearance, another cosmetic that ancient
Egyptian women focused on was makeup. In Egyptian society, makeup was also extremely
important and was used by both men and women. The main purpose of wearing the makeup was
it was believed that the makeup gave them the protection of the gods Horus and Ra. Makeup
such as the dark liner that typically went around their eyes, also served as a deterrent of the sun's
harmful rays in the desert. Egyptians wore a significant amount of makeup which was originally
for religious purposes. This would slowly turn from being more religious to being more of a
status and symbol of beauty, similar to the wigs they wore.
Similar to the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Greek culture emphasized a similar
importance on the use of cosmetics. One of the main differences between the Greeks and
Egyptians was that the Greeks did not use wigs like the Egyptians did. There was not a need to
do this because the meditaranean environment was not as intense as the Egyptian desert biome
was. The Greeks did use hair dyes to either dye their hair lighter or darker. This was done to help
hide age. The dyes to make hair darker were extracted from leeches and marinated in wine, while
the dyes to make hair lighter was a mixture of beech wood ash and goat fat.
One thing that was really important to Greek women was perfume. These good scents
were a symbol of status in society and were also used for pleasure and seduction. The perfumes
had an oil base and usually were a thick paste. Everything the Greeks used for cosmetics was
made from exotics natural ingredients. Similar to the Egyptians, the Greeks used eyeliner and did
their eyebrows. The Greeks typically went light on their eyeliner, which was made from a kohl
powder which was made up of soot, antimony, saffron or ash. Women would also color in their
eyebrows. While Egyptian womens eyebrows were typically more pronounced, sharp, and thick,
the Ancient greek women usually did their eyebrows thinner. They were not very long in length
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and often women had their eyebrows connected at the center. This was seen as a sign of beauty
and status.
What is interesting about the culture for makeup in Greece is what happened to the idea
of cosmetics once it became mainstream. There were many philosophers and writers that wrote
how makeup was a “trick” used by lower class women and prostitutes to hide their looks.
Though this is what some men believed, makeup in ancient Greece still remained a delicacy for
status, that all women could use.
The final culture that will be discussed is the Ancient Romans. The Romans had a very
strict aesthetic that women were supposed to fulfil which was ultimately influenced by the
Greeks and Egyptians. Roman women had an intensive skin care routine, which used natural
ingredients to keep them healthy. Shaving became popular in Rome after 300 BCE. Once it
became mainstream, it was common that women were not supposed to have a single hair on their
body. They regularly plugged their hairs and smoothened their skin. What is interesting about
this is even though Ancient Egyptians often shaved their bodies, there is evidence they did keep
hair in pubic regions that were not often shown. This was found on ancient mummies in tombs.
Another way the Ancient Romans took care of their skin was by using Lomentum, which was a
substance rubbed on the skin which would reduce wrinkles.
One of the most noticeable cosmetics that Roman women used was chalk to whiten their
skin. This was because it showed and symbolized high status in society. If a woman had
extremely pale skin, that showed that she was unburnt and spent most of her time inside. This
would lead people to think that she was able to live a lavish lifestyle, because she had the
resources such as slaves to do work for her, while she stayed inside. The mixture for this
whitening powder was more complicated than it seems. First, barley groats and wetch were
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mixed with a large quantity of eggs. Then the mixture was dried and then grinded in a stone mill.
The powder was then collected and poured through a sieve to get the proper consistency. Then
narcissus bulbs were added and crushed into the mixture. This fine powder was then rubbed into
the skin and gave women the pale complexion that they desired. Greek women would also apply
white cosmetics to pale their skin. The Egyptians did not apply this kind of makeup to their skin
because it would not protect them from the sun. What stands out about Roman beauty compared
to the Egyptians and Greeks was that the Romans did not use as much makeup. They focused
more on the color of the skin and smoothness and healthiness of it.
Makeup and other cosmetics have been an extremely important aspect of society, ever
since the beginning of civilizations. Once large powers such as the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks,
and Romans developed, there was a need to display status and prestige. Cosmetics were one of
the best ways for a woman to display her power and image in that society. Women were able to
utilize wigs and makeup to show their importance and project the female image. In addition to
this, they were also able to utilize skin scare products to show their natural beauty as well.
The usage of cosmetics that was used by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans had
ultimately inspired the cosmetic industry today. Today, makeup, hair, and skin care products are
marketed to women to build their confidence and enhance their outer beauty. Since the explosion
of these ancient civilizations, cosmetics for women have been a staple in status and beauty. It is
insane to realize that much of the makeup techniques and looks that are used today, are based off
of the images and roles that powerful and confident women were able to portray in ancient times.
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Works Cited
Cartwright, Mark. "Cosmetics in the Ancient World." Ancient History Encyclopedia.
Ancient History Encyclopedia, 06 Sep 2019. Web. 13 Dec 2020.
Jasiński, J. (2019, May 04). What beauty was appreciated by Romans? Retrieved December 13,
2020
Robins, Gay. “Hair and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Egypt, c. 1480-1350 B.C.”
Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, vol. 36, 1999, pp. 55–69. JSTOR,
doi:10.2307/40000202. Accessed 13 Dec. 2020.
Wilner, Ortha L. “Roman Beauty Culture.” The Classical Journal, vol. 27, no. 1, 1931,
pp. 26–38. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3290598. Accessed 13 Dec. 2020.